Event

Meet SEI at World Water Week 2026

22 to 27 August 2026

Stockholm, Sweden and Online

Stockholm Waterfront Congress Centre, Nils Ericsons plan 4, 111 64

Event contact

Kim Andersson / kim.andersson@sei.org

World Water Week, the leading annual conference on global water issues, will take place between 23 and 27 August 2026, in Stockholm and online. With the theme Water for People and Progress, this year’s event will discuss progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) against the backdrop of climate change and persistent inequalities.

World Water Week aims to lay a foundation for the UN Water Conference and other international processes this year, including the UN Biodiversity COP17 and UN Climate COP31.

SEI contributions

SEI conducts research on a broad range of water-related issues in different parts of the world. Some of these insights will be shared at World Water Week by researchers from SEI-Africa, SEI-Asia, SE-Latin America, SEI-US and SEI-HQ.

All sessions with SEI researchers can also be watched online. Join us to explore topics like:

How to overcome fragmentation in “Bridging Watershed Management and Water Services to Build Resilient Livelihoods”.
Efforts to connect small-holder farmers and policymakers in “Empowering Smallholder Farmers/Local Policymakers through a Collaborative Learning School, Nigeria”.
Lessons from Asia and Europe on “Inclusive Basin Partnerships: Transforming Water Security Across Regions”.
Community-led approaches from Latin America in “Designing Systemic Progress in Water Security for LAC”.
How to avoid preventable failures by “Rethinking WASH for crisis resilient communities”.

How to attend

Participate in World Water Week either in Stockholm or online from 23 to 27 August. There is no fee for online participation, but registration is required.

Explore the full World Water Week program here.

Registration for online participation here.

SuSanA meeting

When? 22 August, 09.00-16.00 CEST

Where? Online and at Norrsken House, Birger Jarlsgatan 57C, Stockholm

In the lead-up to World Water Week, the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA) will hold its 36^th meeting with a range of interesting presentations.

Join the SuSanA meeting

Secure your spot and connect with experts and advance your knowledge in sustainable sanitation.

Bridging Watershed Management and Water Services to Build Resilient Livelihoods

When? 14:00–15:30 CEST

Where? Online and on-site Stockholm Waterfront Congress Centre Room C1, Level 2

Session ID: 12520

Bridging watershed management with water and sanitation services is essential to build resilient livelihoods under rising climate pressures. This session explores practical ways to overcome fragmentation by strengthening coordination across institutions, planning, and finance, linking basin processes with service delivery to improve water security, public health, equity, and long-term resilience.

Convenors: SEI-HQ; SEI-Africa; SEI-Asia; SEI-Latin America; SEI-US

Learn more about the session.

Empowering Smallholder Farmers/Local Policymakers through a Collaborative Learning School, Nigeria

When? 14:30–16:00 CEST
Where? Online and on-site at Stockholm Waterfront Congress Centre, Room C4, Level 2

Session ID 12609

Hear stories from the 2025 Collaborative Learning School (CLS) held in Nigeria, including smallholder farmers, local policymakers, and early- and later-career researchers. This intense 2-week event linking smallholder farmers to policymakers, focusing on the water-energy-food nexus, led to measurable, documented changes: farmers formed cooperatives and accessed loans and infrastructure; policymakers restructured subsidy and credit systems; and researchers shifted from external observers to embedded contributors. Join us to see how you can apply these ideas in your geography.

Convenors: Stockholm Environment Institute, Michigan State University, Pennsylvania State University, SustainFood, University of Ibadan

Learn more about this session.

Inclusive Basin Partnerships: Transforming Water Security Across Regions

When? 09:00–10:30 CEST

Where? Online and on-site at Stockholm Waterfront Congress Centre, Room A2, Level 6

Session ID: 12545

This session advances integrated river basin management from upper to lower basin areas through inclusive partnerships. Showcases from Europe and Asia highlight collaborative governance, science-based planning, and stakeholder engagement to balance competing water demands and risks. It also explores youth-led innovation and scalable policies and measures for climate-resilient basin management.

Convenors: SEI-Asia, DHI, Netherlands Water Partnership, Suntory, Water Risk Lab. / Yachiyo Engineering Co., Ltd; Korea Environment Institute

Learn more about this session.

Designing Systemic Progress in Water Security for LAC

When? 14:00–15:30 CEST

Where? Online and on-site at Stockholm Waterfront Congress Centre, Room C4, Level 2

Session ID: 12514

Across Latin America and the Caribbean, water progress depends on redesigning fragmented systems while reconnecting institutions, data, integrated planning, finance, and decision-making across scales. This session explores how community-led, place-based solutions, basin governance, circular transitions, and regenerative approaches strengthen adaptation and resilience, advancing transformation to deliver measurable outcomes for people and the environment.

Convenors: Stockholm Environment Institute, We Are Water Foundation, Altamira Regenerative Finance, Grupo Rotoplas, Rainforest Flow

Learn more about this session.

Rethinking WASH for crisis resilient communities

When? 14:00–15:30 CEST

Where? Online and on-site at Stockholm Waterfront Congress Centre, A4, Level 6

Session ID: 12519

WASH services often collapse during extreme climate events and conflict, forcing repeated humanitarian response. This session examines how the disconnect between development and humanitarian WASH planning creates preventable failures. It explores integrating societal adaptive capacity, governance, and community participation into infrastructure resilience plans for more inclusive resilient WASH services.

Convenors: Stockholm Environment Institute, Swedish Red Cross

Learn more about this session.

SEI’s Arati Davis will moderate Centre Stage events throughout the week.

Find the full slate of sessions here.